Kalisek, Lauren J.

Districts Practice Group - Chair
(512) 322-5847
Lauren Kalisek
Lauren Kalisek Email Me
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Lauren is the Firm's Managing Director and leads our Districts Practice Group. She has practiced for more than 20 years in Texas water utility and water quality law and she provides counsel to cities, river authorities, water districts, and other local governmental organizations.

In recent years, Lauren has focused much of her practice on organizational governance matters for public water utilities, including the duties and roles of board members, conflicts of interest, compliance with open government requirements, and drafting bylaws, rules and policies.  In addition, she is author of the West Texas Practice Series Environmental Law Chapter on Water Quality and has served as a speaker on the topic of water quality and Texas’ regulation of water utilities at numerous conferences.

  • Admitted to State Bar of Texas (1995)
  • J.D., University of Texas School of Law (1995)
  • B.A., University of Texas at Austin (1992)
  • General counsel to regional water authorities, water control & improvement districts, and municipal utility districts throughout the State of Texas
  • Development of rules and policies regarding operations, administration, service rules and related matters for water utilities
  • Special counsel on water quality matters for river authorities, cities, and other retail public utilities throughout the State of Texas
  • Prosecution of TPDES applications for publicly owned treatment works with the Texas Commission on Environmental Quality (TCEQ) including contested case hearings held at the State Office of Administrative Hearings (SOAH)
  • Appeal of federalized Texas Pollutant Discharge Elimination System (TPDES) permit to the United States Environmental Appeals Board on issue of whole effluent toxicity
  • Creation and organization of water districts
  • Negotiation and drafting of wholesale water and wastewater supply contracts, developer reimbursement agreements, shared capacity agreements for water and wastewater facilities, and reclaimed water contracts
  • Negotiation of purchase and sale of regional water and wastewater systems by local governmental entities
  • Speaker, "PUC Rate Case Panel: Emerging Trends," Texas Water Conservation Association Fall Conference, October, 2018
  • Speaker, “Communicating Public Value: Emerging Best Practices in Public Water Administration and Governance,” Texas Water Conservation Association Fall Conference, October, 2016.
  • Author, “Finding the High Ground in the Clean Water Rule,” Texas Lawyer, July 27, 2015.
  • Speaker, “Empowering Innovation: The Role of Clean Water Lawyers in Advancing the Utility of the Future,” National Association of Clean Water Agencies, National Clean Water Law Seminar, Henderson, Nevada, November, 2015.
  • Author, “Surface Water Quality,” Chapter, Vol. 45 Texas Practice, Environmental Law (West 2013-present).
  • Speaker, “Federal Water Quality Enforcement and Integrated Planning,” Texas Water Conservation Association Annual Conference, The Woodlands, Texas, March, 5, 2014.
  • Speaker, “Achieving the Utility of the Future: Water Reuse,” National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Developments in Clean Water Law, November 2012.
  • Speaker, “Why Are the Fish Sad And Glad And Bad? The Role of WET Testing in Water Quality Protection,” 23rd Annual Environmental Superconference, 2011.
  • Author, “The Principle of Antidegradation and Its Place in Texas Water Quality Permitting,” Texas Environmental Law Journal, Vol. 41 No. 1 (Fall 2010).
  • Speaker, “Federalism 101, A Relationship on the Rocks,” National Association of Clean Water Agencies, Developments in Clean Water Law, November 2010.
  • Texas Water Conservation Association, Board Member (2019-2022)
  • Associate of Water Board Directors, Advisory Council Member, Law and Advocacy Membership Group Leader
  • Travis County Women Lawyers' Association
  • Travis County Bar Association
  • Austin Bar Association, Equity Committee 2020-2021
  • State Bar of Texas, Environmental Natural Resources Law Section
Community Service
  • BookSpring, Board Member (2018-2021)
  • Capital Area Master Naturalist, Class of 2018, Texas Parks and Wildlife Department and Texas AgriLife Extension Service
  • Central Texas Foodbank Volunteer
  • The Best Lawyers in America 2021 Administrative/Regulatory Law - Districts
  • Travis County Women Lawyers' Association Attorney Award - Advancement of Womens' Interests 2017
Lauren enjoys wearing out her hiking boots with her husband and children in the Chisos, Rockies, and Sierra Nevadas and closer to home in Barton Creek, Government Canyon, and Lost Maples. She volunteers with and supports the Central Texas Food Bank and Bookspring. Although a native of Houston, Lauren has roots in the Czech communities of Moulton, Flatonia and Shiner, Texas and never passes up a good kolache.

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